One of the most divisive films of the year has earned its distinction due to its screenplay. Much of its abrasivity boils down to personal preference, but Martin McDonaugh’s dialogue is delightfully tight and suitably darkly comic. It may not wholly commit to social commentary, but it’s depictions of Americana work as a means for immersion. Three Billboards also succeeds as a subversive character study. Mildred, Willoughby, and Dixon are all complex characters, and McDonaugh trusts the viewer to make decisions for themselves as to whether they’re in the right; meanwhile, it’s ruminations in anger and closure capture a sliver of the American psyche. Whether it serves as palliative artistic catharsis for this time of anger will be determined by time, but for my money, I think it’s simply the beating heart of one of my favorites of 2017.

Honorable Mention: Probably Get Out, whose allegory and foreshadowing are masterfully executed, even if mild trimming would’ve made it the outright masterpiece it’s hailed as by many.

The Florida Project is one of the most underseen films of 2017 and is filled with many standout scenes - but the scene in which Bobby, played by Willem Dafoe, deters a suspicious-looking old man away from the children living at the motel he operates is arguably one of the film’s finest. The scene demonstrates Bobby’s quick thinking as well as his heart of gold as he buys the old man Ginger Ale (the man claims to have stumbled onto the motel out of thirst), slaps it out of Hazelrabbit’s hand when the latter’s lying becomes apparent (I wanted to cheer at this point), and then manages to send him off by threatening to call the cops. It’s not only hilarious but also immensely satisfying, and solidifies Bobby as the most likeable character in the entire film.

Honorable Mention: I’ll go with the Baby Driver footchase set to Hocus Pocus. Edgar Wright chose a great number and it’s quite entertaining seeing our protagonist be forced to evade his now enemies (and the cops) without using his vehicular knowledge.

I’ve watched films with pillow smothering scenes before, but Lady Macbeth manages to outdo them all by doing some very simple yet gutwrenching things: Make the hapless victim an innocent child, keep the camera completely static for several minutes as we see the poor kid thrash around until his limbs go limp, and then linger as the ‘protagonist’, Katherine, waits in the room as she builds up crocodile tears before the ward’s mother inevitably barges in. It’s an undeniably abhorrent turn of events that will definitely turn off many viewers (I myself noticed people having to walk out of the theater during this scene), but actress Florence Pugh absolutely sticks the landing as she shreds any support we might have had for Katherine. For the sheer level of discomfort it incited, this scene had this award im the bag all the way back when I first saw it in August.

Honorable Mention: The climax of Mudbound is uncompromisingly brutal and emotionally devastating, showing perhaps the most horrifyingly effective depiction of American period piece racism since 12 Years a Slave. All the scenes nominated are excellent, however.

This scene really got to me both times I saw Blade Runner 2049 in theaters, and I came close to choking up even on rewatch. As K - now Joe - lays down to rest one final time, surrounded by the picturesque descent of snow, a character arc with a depth and poignancy rarely seen in blockbusters runs to the finish line with grace. Joe transcended his programming by refusing to bend to absolutes, having come to grips with the inherent modesty his story would have even in the grand scale of a replicant revolt, while putting an end to the cycle of bloodshed tied to his status as a blade Runner if he complied with either the replicants or authorities. His story ends with saving a family, and the simple yet moving image of Deckard’s first genuine smile presumably in years. I’ve heard people describe the reprise of “Tears in Rain” from the original as being a bit much, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. A perfect conclusion to an excellent film, and a proper stopping point for the Blade Runner franchise.

Honorable Mention: The final duet in Coco is somewhat expected, but elicits an emotional response as effective as “Take her to the Moon for me”, “Kitty!”, or any other tearjerker scene we’ve come to expect from Pixar. Props to all the nominees though - the other three require actors to exert an incredible range of emotion in close-ups.

I’ve watched films with pillow smothering scenes before, but Lady Macbeth manages to outdo them all by doing some very simple yet gutwrenching things: Make the hapless victim an innocent child, keep the camera completely static for several minutes as we see the poor kid thrash around until his limbs go limp, and then linger as the ‘protagonist’, Katherine, waits in the room as she builds up crocodile tears before the ward’s mother inevitably barges in. It’s an undeniably abhorrent turn of events that will definitely turn off many viewers (I myself noticed people having to walk out of the theater during this scene), but actress Florence Pugh absolutely sticks the landing as she shreds any support we might have had for Katherine. For the sheer level of discomfort it incited, this scene had this award im the bag all the way back when I first saw it in August.

Honorable Mention: The climax of Mudbound is uncompromisingly brutal and emotionally devastating, showing perhaps the most horrifyingly effective depiction of American period piece racism since 12 Years a Slave. All the scenes nominated are excellent, however.

Tanny gave this movie a 1/10 rating, citing this particular scene as the reason why he hated it.

I’ve watched films with pillow smothering scenes before, but Lady Macbeth manages to outdo them all by doing some very simple yet gutwrenching things: Make the hapless victim an innocent child, keep the camera completely static for several minutes as we see the poor kid thrash around until his limbs go limp, and then linger as the ‘protagonist’, Katherine, waits in the room as she builds up crocodile tears before the ward’s mother inevitably barges in. It’s an undeniably abhorrent turn of events that will definitely turn off many viewers (I myself noticed people having to walk out of the theater during this scene), but actress Florence Pugh absolutely sticks the landing as she shreds any support we might have had for Katherine. For the sheer level of discomfort it incited, this scene had this award im the bag all the way back when I first saw it in August.

Honorable Mention: The climax of Mudbound is uncompromisingly brutal and emotionally devastating, showing perhaps the most horrifyingly effective depiction of American period piece racism since 12 Years a Slave. All the scenes nominated are excellent, however.

Tanny gave this movie a 1/10 rating, citing this particular scene as the reason why he hated it.

Yeah, I saw his review. He said a local child murder case also affected his score, which I can understand alongside the fact that he’s not the first person I know who has problems with the scene.

Note: This is a fraction of the whole scene, which lasts about five minutes from start to finish and gets exponentially more insufferable as it goes on.

In my opinion, some of the worst movie scenes (or, at least the most egregious) often come from films that I otherwise enjoy or respect on some level due to their propensity to almost derail the film entirely. I had my reservations with A Ghost Story but was mostly onboard roughly an hour in, but this scene was the point where it lost me (and although it picks up again I was left distant because of it).

Simply put, nihilism is not a compelling argument to put forth in a film if there are characters we are supposed to connect to. If David Lowery actually intended to pay this entire scene straight, I would be perfectly happy if he decided to stop making movies, as this interpretation essentially mocks the ghost, whose struggle we’re supposed to sympathize with (because we ALL scratch at a door - just as profound as Rick and Morty!) as well as demonstrating considerable contempt for its audience by wasting your time with a scene that spits in your eye by laying it on thick with the fatalism.

“But Kashmir!”, I hear people say, “you’re not supposed to take Will Oldham’s pseudointellectual rant seriously! The ghost provides dramatic irony that invalidates his monologue!” Well, if that helps you enjoy the film, more power to you. I won’t begrudge your right to do so. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a chore to sit through due to: doubling down on the indulgent padding the film is mired by; throwing its admirable visual telegraphing of themes completely out the window for an expositional dump that would make Christopher Nolan and the Wachowskis blush; making the ghost still look like an idiot for listening to this whole spell of verbal anti-profundities rather than grabbing an object that could help break through the doorframe more efficiently rather than using his hand; and honestly not articulating anything particularly new or revelatory (especially in the context of the story given that the ghost seems pretty well read and should therefore be familiar with some of the arguments Oldham’s character puts forth). Time is a giant unstoppable force and we have legacies. Thanks for helping me get to the seventh level of woke, David Lowery.

Might I be overanalyzing an art house film? Perhaps, but the amount of frustration this genuinely pretentious scene gives me essentially disrupted my ability to remain immersed with the film both times I watched it. If you feel that you wasted your time reading this rant, I’ve done my job, for I’ve replicated exactly how this scene made me feel.

Honorable Mention: I was really tempted to give this to the ending of The Circle, for its ending literally goes against everything the film was screaming in your ear for most of the runtime. This is another scene I think can be interpreted multiple ways: either, the film is supposed to still be anti-tech incursion except for when it comes to corporations (in an incompetently executed, rather boiler-plate anti-corporate message), or it’s actually advocating for the wholesale erosion of privacy by representing the other side as hyperbolic water filter salesmen, because Mae is perfectly fine with drones watching her while she kayaks (and everything else being under scrutiny of drones and cameras too). If the latter is the case, The Circle is one the most repugnant, morally bankrupt movies I’ve ever seen.

Like my esteemed peer John Tyler, I also admittedly dabbled in category shenanigans to ensure that Vicky Krieps would get a nomination, but that’s what I'm willing to do for such a dynamic performance from a versatile newcomer. Krieps manages to steal the show in Phantom Thread, combining moments of tempered subtlety (Alma’s reaction to Reynolds liking “a little belly in women” is one of the funniest parts of the entire film) and a radiant intensity whenever she needs to turn tables in the romantic battlefield (e.g. her monologue at the end). Thanks to Krieps, Alma holds her own as a counterpart/foil to a Daniel Day-Lewis character to the same degree if not more so than Eli Sunday in There Will Be Blood. Krieps is the alma of Phantom Thread, and hopefully she will get the long, prosperous career she deserves.

Honorable Mention: If I had put Krieps in the Best Actress category then Laurie Metcalf would have handily won this award. It’s a performance rife with empathy and humor in equal measure that reminds me of my own mom in multiple ways. Plus, the airport scene.

It speaks a lot to just how immersive Blade Runner 2049 was a theatrical experience that the absence of Dan Laustsen’s tracking shot style or Hoyte van Hoytema’s commitment to the IMAX perspective proved impervious to Roger Deakins’ tried and true methods in the medium of cinematography. No film from 2017 utilizes color and lighting the same way as Deakins, creating metropolitan wastelands that have drowned the vibrant cityscapes of its predecessor in environmental decay (or have resurged with hues in the case of the film’s Vegas sequence), utterly gorgeous interior lighting (such as the entire Wallace corporation compound), and a climax boldly using the shroud of night to contrast with cascading raindrops and orange neon of the spinners (especially notable in its perpetuation of the allusion to Pale Fire throughout the film). Watching this in theaters also allows one to get a lifetime’s supply of vertigo-tinged awe in aerial shots as well. Because Blade Runner 2049 thrives in Deakins’ camera, he was the only logical option for this category.

Honorable Mention: Either Dunkirk or The Shape of Water. The former was the other quintessential theatrical experience of 2017 due to its IMAX cameras harnessing Nolan’s ambitious scope (especially in aerial scenes); and although I ragged on the latter a lot out of fear for it stealing Deakins’ rightful Oscar, its effortless long takes and color motifs demonstrate Del Toro’s sheer confidence in his vision.

It was a bit tough narrowing the strongest contestants in this category down, and ultimately I opted to go with Sufjan Stevens’ gorgeous, tender ballad from Call Me By Your Name. Not only does it play during one of the most quietly poignant scenes in the film, but Stevens’ lyrics are winningly descriptive and the instrumentation perfectly captures the ethereal nature of the wilderness Elio and Oliver hike as well as the euphoria they both feel. It’s a song that takes me back to the scenes from the film - and this comes from someone who simply liked it a lot rather than loved it.

It was a close race between both of Sufjan’s original tracks for this film. Vision of Gideon is arguably more emotionally primal than its contented brother, perfectly complimenting the film’s emotional final shot.

Note: This is just one of the tracks. The rest of the soundtrack is available on YouTube and other music streaming services.

As a fan of classical music styles, the piano, and Radiohead, it was an inevitability that Jonny Greenwood’s Phantom Thread soundtrack would handily win this category. However, even if I wasn’t as heavily biased torwards either of those things I would still be enraptured by Greenwood’s balletic, indescribably rich arrangements and their fitting like gloves during the film’s most memorable moments. Luckily, the score stands on its own too. Whether you like it or not, this musical equivalent to maple mousse’s Oscar snub is one of the most heinous of the year.

Honorable Mention: In any other year, Oneohtrix Point Never’s Score for Good Time would have also mopped the floor with all the other nominees. It’s a sonically rich, frenetic electronic score that serves as the film’s pulse, ratcheting the intensity when necessary while also harnessing the seedy feeling of nighttime low-end New York exuded by the film.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BgkqMVPcru8

Despite the amount of acclaim Blade Runner 2049’s received, I’ve been surprised at how underrated the screenwriting itself in the film is. I get that it’s narrative rough edges are noticeable (I myself have nitpicks with certain scenes), but Hampton Fancher and Michael Green’s script needed to work the most in order for the film to stay afloat. Luckily, it does, and in the best ways possible for a blockbuster in the post-Avengers years: Rather than take the soft reboot route, Fancher and Green opt to keep fanservice to a minimum, instead taking the thematic kernels of the original and disseminate then across new fields, more readily tackling the reverbations of slavery and the perpetuation of hierarchy even at the level of replicants and holograms like Joi. The film also continues its predecessor’s meditation on human identity and free will while also delivering better detective work. The screenwriters effortlessly establish some excellent new characters, seamlessly insert the legacy of the classic ones, and deliver in terms of indelible dialogue. Most importantly, the film’s story functions perfectly fine regardless of whether or not you think Deckard is a replicant.

Honorable Mention: Despite my reservations with its pacing, Call Me By Your Name has an intelligent, mature script that builds believable character dynamics and captures the feelings the film sets out for perfectly. I’m very happy James Ivory got to take home the Oscar this year.

It speaks to how great the dialogue was in Phantom Thread that I could have chosen manylines from the film. It’s far more quotable than any film about a dressmaker has a right to be. I ultimately went with a line from the climax of the film based on its subversion of expectations and its quotability.

Honorable Mention: I’ll throw The Last Jedi another bone with the line I selected there, because Yoda’s scene was just that good.

The thought that every edgy 14 year old on Film Twitter and every film school freshman has probably committed this monologue to memory and will likely quote it at any social event they go to is disheartening to say the least. You can actually feel David Lowery breaking wind and taking a large, smug, whiff.

Honorable Mention: The line I nominated from The Last Jedi is among the cheesiest lines ever written in the franchise - and fans and detractors alike know that’s no easy feat. Pottersville’s lines work as honorable mentions too, though the “I oughtta stick a BIGFOOT up your ass!” line was so terrible it made me chuckle.

The thought that every edgy 14 year old on Film Twitter and every film school freshman has probably committed this monologue to memory and will likely quote it at any social event they go to is disheartening to say the least.

This film seeks to be the next Black Mirror, but stumbles considerably on account of its on the nose messaging, a truly abhorrent protagonist bereft of any convictions whatsoever, and dialogue so bad it’s often funny (Case in point: “Do you ever leave this place, Mae? etc.”). The ending also, as I described, contradicts everything the film was advocating, so it couldn’t even be depended on to remain consistent. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that this script’s pure incompetence factored into the deaths of a Bill Paxton and Glenne Headley.

Honorable Mention: Alien Covenant has some interesting ideas wrapped in a very incoherent plot. The film’s crisis of identity is evident, and as a result we get a film that manages to spit in Prometheus’ face, simultaneously doubling down on its predecessor’s flaws, and mostly morph into a remake of the 1979 Alien by the end. At least we got this video out of it:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fmwyWerz5KI

The thought that every edgy 14 year old on Film Twitter and every film school freshman has probably committed this monologue to memory and will likely quote it at any social event they go to is disheartening to say the least.

Uh, what?

It’s a joke. I don’t have to write Neville-style writeups for everything.

DeHaan is one of the more woefully miscast actors in a tentpoles role in a while, lacking the necessary charisma to make his character (or his chemistry with cArA dELevINgnE) work. It’s a very vanilla performance from a vanilla actor deserving a vanilla write-up.

Honorable Mention: Michael Shannon in Pottersville. Even when scripts let him down (case in point: The-Film-That-Must-Not-Be-Named), Shannon is at the very least usually able to reap a decent performance. Pottersville may be the first time he’s ever phoned in a performance - though the film itself did him no favors. At least he had The Shape of Water to wash this performance out of everyone’s minds.

I know, I thought I’d give it to James Franco too. But like many qualities of Phantom Thread, the excellence of Daniel Day-Lewis’s final performance sprung upon me over time. Reynolds Woodcock is just as much a Day-Lewis staple as Daniel Plainview, in that no other actor could feasibly pull the character off. Day-Lewis opts for a more subdued persona, one whose fastidious yet immature disposition belies his vulnerable interior. It’s a worthy sendoff demonstrating considerable range for one of the finest actors of his genration.

Honorable Mention: James Franco, of course. He captures the essence of Wiseau perfectly and elevates The Disaster Artist considerably.